Every Taylor Song Reading Challenge | Red (Taylor’s Version) All Too Well: Read a book set in autumn.
TW: death, violence, sexual assault/rape
First, I have to give proper credit to the photographer! That link also goes to their review of the novel, in case you want to read someone else's thoughts about Only If You're Lucky. As far as the prompt goes, this book wasn't the best choice. Sure, parts of it take place in autumn with a significant event happening on Halloween. But the book is told in dual timelines; "before" which begins in the spring of Margot's freshmen year of college and "after" in January of her sophomore year. The before and after refer to a student dying and another who is missing. Margot was already grieving the loss of her best friend, Eliza, whom she was supposed to go to this college with. Eliza, however, died during their senior summer. After spending most of her first year with her stranger of a roommate, not partying, and just going through the motions, she's approached by one of the "it girls" on campus, Lucy. Lucy and her two friends, Sloane and Nicole, are looking for a 4th roommate in a house off-campus. Something in Margot wills her to say yes to Lucy, and so she finds herself amongst these girls, quickly becoming part of their pack. It's the first time since Eliza's death that Margot actually feels happy. Flash forward to "after" and one of the frat boys next door is dead, and one of her roommates is missing. The dual timelines were a really interesting way to advance the plot, and at first I was thinking it was taking too long to connect everything. But by the end, you realize how many subtle hints have been dropped throughout the course of the book. Even having picked up on some of these hints or being able to see parts of a twist or some twists coming, I was not prepared for alllll of that information and how it ends. The author created suspense, suspicion, and keeps you guessing until the very end. I read this book over the course of the week, mostly reading 60-80 pages at a time. Sometimes I had to force myself to put the book down and go to bed, but I couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen next. If you like thrillers, you've gotta read this book!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐a gripping mystery and psychological thriller about loyalty, jealousy, and friendship.
